Same-Sex Marriage, Civil Unions, and Domestic Partnerships

News about same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 25, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column digs into survey data compiled by Public Religion Research Institute about way 50,000 Americans feel about issues of gay marriage, abortion and immigration; notes that data shows how white evangelical Protestants have disproportionate sway over Republican Party on these issues. MORE

Feb. 22, 2015

Some Navajo leaders are considering repealing 2005 tribal law prohibiting same-sex marriage, noting that if Supreme Court does rule in favor of legalization later this year, it will not apply to Navajo's sovereign nation; move is opposed by both Navajo traditionalists and other tribal citizens who feel that issues like drug abuse and depression are more of a priority. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column warns of danger in having religion and government so closely linked in the United States, particularly among Republican politicians; notes that conflating politics and religion is how theocracies and brutal extremists are created, and points to how Republican opposition to gay marriage in Alabama has been framed as religious rather than civic issue. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Keith Ingram and Albert Pigg, who live in Dothan, Ala, were first gay couple to be denied marriage license by Houston County Probate Court Judge Patrick H Davenport after conflicting rulings issued by federal and state judges; Ingram and Pigg describe town as having culture that is still resistant to homosexual couples, yet is accepting of them in some pockets; couple continues to hope that probate judge will eventually grant license. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Gay rights group Freedom to Marry reports that at least 50 of 67 counties in Alabama will be issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples; state's probate judges are responding to what one called 'the inevitable' after Federal Judge Callie V S Granade, who ruled in January that Alabama's same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional, specifically ordered Mobile County Probate Court Judge Don Davis to comply. MORE

Feb. 13, 2015

Shibuya Ward district in central Tokyo plans to recognize same-sex couples, giving them same legal rights as married opposite-sex couples; becomes first local government in Japan to do so at a time when issue of gay marriage is stirring in many countries. MORE

Feb. 12, 2015

Nicolas Kristof Op-Ed column contends lesson from murders of three Muslims in North Carolina and conflicts over same-sex marriage in Alabama is the importance of fighting bigotry and opposing intolerance; points out perils in 'otherizing' people of different faiths, races or sexuality. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Alabama, though not unique among conservative states in opposing same-sex marriage, is the only state where probate judges who would issue such licenses were instructed to disregard federal court order that defies popular majority; such defiant, brazen and often hopeless campaigns are practically hard-wired into state's makeup. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Alabama probate judges weighing whether they should grant marriage licenses to gay couples are caught between federal and state rulings on issue, not to mention their own feelings toward it; federal hearing has been scheduled to resolve matter. MORE

Feb. 11, 2015

Op-Ed article by Jean Mills and Carol Eichelberger describes how decision by judge in their county of Tuscaloosa, Ala, to go along with State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S Moore's order not to issue same-sex marriage licenses has made them decide to pursue one; notes that while they have never been activists, despite living as lesbian couple in state where many object to their relationship, ruling has forced them to take a stand. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Court officials in some of Alabama's largest cities begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples but most of state's judges refuse to do so; in wake of Federal Judge Callie V S Granade's rulings legalizing same-sex marriage, State Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy S Moore orders judges not to issue same-sex marriage licenses, escalating legal battle; adding to mix, United States Supreme Court says it will not block Granade's rulings. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

The Upshot; polls suggesting that growing majority of Americans support same-sex marriage can obscure fact that large swaths of United States, as in Alabama, contain populations who are staunchly opposed to such marriages. MORE

Feb. 10, 2015

Alabama Chief Justice Roy S Moore's order prohibiting state judges from issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples has thrown state's court system in turmoil, and places him once again in national spotlight; devout-Baptist Moore last drew attention in 2003, when he defied federal court order to remove Ten Commandments monument from Alabama Judicial System building. MORE

Feb. 9, 2015

Chief Justice Roy S Moore of the Alabama Supreme Court blocks state's probate justices from issuing gay marriage licenses after federal court strikes down state's ban on gay marriage; order amounts to bold defiance of federal judiciary, and sets up what is likely to be legal turmoil and debate over state's rights. MORE

Feb. 5, 2015

Michigan will recognize more than 300 same-sex marriages performed during a brief period when they were allowed in 2014. MORE

Feb. 1, 2015

Emily Bazelon First column examines way Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts seems to have kept his own legacy and standing of court in mind during his tenure, and how that may affect upcoming ruling on same-sex marriage; suggests Roberts has vested interest in having court appear above partisanship, as it allows him to more easily accomplish long-term goal of moving court in more conservative direction. MORE

Jan. 31, 2015

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column observes that most rabbis are willing to perform same-sex marriages, but not interfaith marriages. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Republican legislators in several states are proposing bills that would prevent issuing marriage licenses to gay couples, even as federal courts declare same-sex marriage bans to be unconstitutional; introduction of state bills, which are unlikely to pass, hint at larger battle that may continue regardless of whether Supreme Court eventually decides that same-sex marriage should be legal nationwide. MORE

Jan. 29, 2015

Jan. 28, 2015

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leaders, in effort to find middle ground, denounce discrimination against gays, while calling to protect rights of people whose religious beliefs oppose homosexuality and same-sex marriage; announcement comes as Utah is considering nondiscrimination law. MORE

Jan. 27, 2015

Jan. 25, 2015

Case of lesbian couple April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse, who have filed federal lawsuit challenging Michigan's ban on same-sex marriage, has become central to Supreme Court's anticipated decision on whether all 50 states must allow gays and lesbians to marry. MORE

Jan. 24, 2015

Ron Lieber Your Money column highlights circumstances of financial planner Brian Thompson and his husband Benjamin Rogers in assessing degree to which legalized same-sex marriage will have financial implications; notes that if Supreme Court strikes down bans on gay marriage issued by states, many gay couples will find themselves tackling financial questions they have not thought about. MORE

Jan. 19, 2015

Many Republicans feel that although Supreme Court will likely decide in favor of same-sex marriage, ruling will give them some political relief by making their unpopular opinions on matter moot; although issue is unlikely to go away completely, it will not be major point of debate in 2016 presidential primaries. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

News Analysis; Supreme Court makes unusual move in agreeing to hear four same-sex marriage cases by rephrasing questions in petitions; some see housekeeping in court's language, but others sense subtle shift of emphasis, away from rights of people to get married and toward due process and equal protection obligations that 14th Amendment imposes on states. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Supreme Court agrees to hear cases brought by 15 same-sex couples in four states challenging states' bans on same-sex marriages; court is positioned to fully address question of whether same-sex marriage is fundamental right before its term ends in June, further emphasizing how pace of change on issue nationwide is unparalleled in history of United States. MORE

Jan. 17, 2015

Editorial urges Supreme Court, which is for second time considering constitutionality of same-sex marriage, to legalize such marriages for good; contends that no new, plausible arguments in favor of either side of debate have emerged for years; holds that majority of Americans favor same-sex marriage, and that court should take opportunity to end exclusion and inequality of gays and lesbians in United States. MORE

Jan. 16, 2015

Federal Judge Mark Goldsmith orders Michigan to recognize hundreds of same-sex marriages that were conducted during brief window, following 2004 referendum allowing the marriages, before appeals court suspended decision. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Jan. 11, 2015

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column scoffs at notion that he, as gay man who may wish to marry another man, is a threat to anyone's religious liberty; notes that issue will likely be prominent in Republican primary race for 2016 presidential nomination; suggests that the term religious liberty is dog whistle for those who want to be exempt from anti-discrimination laws. MORE

Jan. 7, 2015

Florida legalizes same-sex marriage, despite fact that only six years earlier state passed constitutional amendment banning it; is 36th state to make gay marriage legal. MORE

Jan. 7, 2015

Editorial welcomes news that Florida has joined 35 other states in allowing same-sex couples to marry, which means that more than 70 percent of United States live in jurisdictions where it is now legal; notes that trend may help persuade Supreme Court justices to review cases from one of five states where judges have banned practice and make a decision that would legalize these unions nationally. MORE

Jan. 6, 2015

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Sarah Zabel lifts temporary ban on same-sex marriage, as county becomes first in Florida to allow gay couples to wed. MORE

Jan. 3, 2015

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column; some clergy members in states where same-sex marriage is legal have taken pledge not to sign state marriage licenses. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Federal Judge Candy Dale requires Idaho to pay more than $400,000 to six lawyers who successfully fought to overturn states' ban on same-sex marriage; award is around 10 percent less than lawyers had requested. MORE

Dec. 20, 2014

Dec. 17, 2014

Irish Prime Min Enda Kenny says legalization of same-sex marriage will be put to public referendum in May 2015. MORE

Dec. 16, 2014

Colorado court battle over refusal by bakery owner Jack Phillips to make cake for same-sex wedding is one of several disputes nationwide, spurred by local governments taking increasingly hard line on religious vendors refusing to serve gay couples; cases are largely being fought, and some say fueled, by legal advocacy organizations the American Civil Liberties Union, which supports same-sex marriage, and Alliance Defending Freedom, which opposes it. MORE

Dec. 12, 2014

Study published in journal Science finds that gay political canvassers can soften the opinions of voters opposed to same-sex marriage by having brief face-to-face discussion about issue; findings could have implications for activists and issues across political spectrum. MORE

Nov. 26, 2014

Federal Judges Kristine Baker and Carlton Reeves strike down same sex marriage bans in Arkansas and Mississippi, respectively, but both orders are placed on hold so states can consider appeals. MORE

Nov. 25, 2014

Adam Liptak Sidebar column; fact that same-sex marriage will be banned in up to 15 states, at most, should Supreme Court take up question this term offers hint that justices may rule in favor of practice; legal experts note that historically Supreme Court has passed measures after only a third of states still retain ban against them. MORE

Nov. 21, 2014

Supreme Court allows same-sex marriages to proceed in South Carolina, rejecting emergency application from state officials to stay a lower court ruling striking down state's ban on such unions. MORE

Nov. 20, 2014

Nov. 15, 2014

Gay and lesbian couples file petitions asking Supreme Court to decide whether there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage; petitions arrive eight days after appeals court upheld bans on same-sex marriage in Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee; fast pace of filings is effort to ensure that justices hear and decide cases before current court term ends in June 2015. MORE

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March 2, 2015, Monday

The Texas attorney general asked the state's Supreme Court on Friday to revoke a marriage license issued a day earlier to two women, arguing the move violated a decade-old state ban against gay marriage and could cause legal chaos.

February 20, 2015, Friday

A Texas county issued a marriage license to a same-sex couple on Thursday, the first legal certification for a gay couple in the state since its voters about a decade ago approved a measure defining marriage as only being between a man and a woman.

February 19, 2015, Thursday

When Nepali transgender Bhakti Shah married almost a decade ago, his dream of being able to walk openly, hand in hand with his wife, through the narrow streets of Kathmandu seemed close to impossible to fulfill.

February 13, 2015, Friday

Confusion reigns in Alabama over gay marriage, days after the first same-sex wedding licenses were issued in the Deep South state. Probate judges say it's been a bewildering week of conflicting signals whether to issue those licenses or not.

February 11, 2015, Wednesday

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Journalist's Resource,

A list of resources from around the Web about homosexuality as selected by Journalist's Resource, a project of the Shorenstein Center at Harvard.

The Supreme Court appeared ready on Wednesday to strike down a central part of a federal law that defines marriage as the union of a man and a woman. It was the second day of intense arguments over the volatile issue of same-sex marriage.